Page 15 of The Encounter
She closed the bedroom door behind him and then gestured at the bed for him to sit after quickly grabbing her discarded clothes from earlier. Once he sat at the foot of the bed, she sat down near him, leaving a two-foot gap.
“Did you see me naked?” Maddie blurted.
Jace tilted his head. “Um, to when are you referring?”
Maddie’s face heated. “Last night. I woke up in pajamas.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say you were naked. But, yes, I helped you change.”
Maddie scrubbed at her face. “Perfect,” she muttered.
“Your dress was pretty dirty, and I didn’t want you to go to sleep in it. I didn’t see anything if that’s what you are worried about.”
“My dress was dirty?” She raised an eyebrow at him and groaned. “I puked on it, didn’t I?”
He chuckled. “You were pretty drunk.”
She dropped her head into her hands and muttered, “How embarrassing.”
“It’s all right. I have to take the blame for that. We did far too many shots.”
Maddie sat up and gestured at him. “Yet, here you are looking like you slept like a God with your perfectly pressed jeans and clean long-sleeved shirt; whereas, I’m sitting here probably smelling of the stale alcohol oozing out of my pores.”
Jace laughed out loud. “You’re as beautiful as always. I stopped drinking earlier than you, so I’m not hungover.”
She only looked at him as a small smile crept onto her lips.
He composed himself and reached for her hand. “I was wondering if I could take you out sometime.”
“Oh.” Her eyebrows shot up. After everything that had happened the night before, she wasn’t sure why he would want to go out with her anymore. “Why?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “Because we seem to get along well, and I enjoy you.”
“Oh.” He was right. They got along well, and she had fun with him. With what she could remember, anyway. She looked over at him. He was still watching her, waiting for a response. His thumb slowly rolled over her knuckles, and she couldn’t help noticing how soft his hands were.
“Sure. That sounds fun,” she said.
“Great.” He released her hand and patted his pocket where she suspected his phone was. “I got your number last night, so I’ll call you at a later date.”
“Sounds good,” she said.
He looked at his watch. “I need to get going. It was good seeing you again.”
“Thank you for this,” she held up her coffee. “And for getting me home safe last night.”
“It was my pleasure.”
He stood up and let himself out of her room, giving her a smile and wave before disappearing down the stairs.
When she stepped out of the bedroom a few minutes later, he was no longer there. Kayla and Robert were still in the same spot on the couch.
“So... give me the deets!” Kayla said.
Maddie glanced over at Robert. If he was friends with Jace, did she really want to be discussing it in front of him? As if Kayla knew what she was thinking, she chimed in.
“He won’t say anything. Right?” She looked over at Robert.
Robert shook his head. “Jace and I don’t gossip together. I work for him. That’s all.”
